Genius Kids' Scheme: Claiming Daddy's Billionaire Empire Chapter 336

Brandon pulled him inside. "We're working on that. Did she drop any hints about where she was headed?"

Ethan shook his head. "She came by, set up this college fund thing... Said something about needing to go somewhere to find herself again. Didn't feel right, so I came straight here."

Adam wheeled closer. "Think, Ethan. Anything else? Any little detail?"

Ethan's forehead creased in concentration. "She kept looking at something on her phone. A picture..." His face suddenly brightened. "Wait—I think I know!" He scrambled with his phone, scrolling frantically. "She sent me this a while back."

He handed Adam the phone. On screen was a photo of Irene standing in front of a modern hospital building, her smile genuinely happy in a way that made Adam's chest tighten.

"Bingo," Adam said softly, something clicking into place.

"R Country?" Brandon's face scrunched in disbelief. "She flew to the other side of the globe?"

Joseph's quiet voice carried decades of wisdom. "That's where she put herself back together after everything fell apart. Where she stopped being a girl who lost everything and became a woman who could survive anything."

Adam made a series of rapid calls, his expression growing grimmer with each one. "Airline confirms it. She's on a flight to R Country that left two hours ago."

The room went quiet except for the soft, hitching breaths of three children trying not to cry. Brandon slammed his fist into the wall hard enough to leave a dent, cursing under his breath.

Adam turned to the triplets, his voice gentler than anyone had ever heard it. "Hey, now. Mom promised she'd be back, right? Your mom never breaks her promises."

Alex nodded, rubbing his sleeve across his eyes. "But how long will she be gone?"

"Not long," Adam said, wishing he believed it as much as he needed them to.

The triplets traded meaningful looks before heading upstairs. The moment their bedroom door clicked shut, they huddled in a tight circle like they were planning a secret mission.

"We gotta do something," Alex whispered, all childishness gone from his face.

Lucas nodded solemnly. "But Mom's on a plane. What can we even do?"

Alex glanced down at his smartwatch, frowning. "That's weird... Grandma's been blowing up my watch. Five missed calls."

Lily checked her own. "Mine too! Why's she calling so much?"

Lucas scratched his head. "Does Grandma know Mom disappeared?"

Downstairs, Adam's phone lit up. He checked the caller ID and did a visible double-take.

"Mom?"

"Adam." Sophia's voice carried an edge he rarely heard—genuine worry. "Something's wrong. I've had this awful feeling all day, and the children aren't answering their watches."

Adam hesitated for just a heartbeat before choosing truth. "It's Irene... she's gone."

The silence stretched forever. Then Sophia's voice returned, crackling with determination.

"We're on our way. Don't move."

Adam stared at his phone like it had just spoken in tongues. "My mother's on her way over. Right now."

"Come again?" Brandon's eyebrows shot toward his hairline. "Your mother? What's she want?"

Adam shook his head, equally bewildered. "Your guess is good as mine. But she sounded... genuinely worried."

Less than thirty minutes later, the purr of a luxury sedan announced the Havens' arrival. Sophia swept through the front door with Marcus right behind her. Gone was the ice queen demeanor—in its place, something almost human. Her sharp eyes scanned the room, landing on her son.

"What happened exactly?" she demanded, no preamble. "Where did Irene go?"

Adam gave her the CliffsNotes version—the note, their search, Ethan's visit, the flight to R Country.

What happened next stunned everyone in the room. Instead of some cutting remark about Irene's instability or lack of sophistication, Sophia fell quiet, her expression thoughtful. "She'll be back," she finally said with unexpected certainty.

Brandon snorted, crossing his arms. "And you'd know this... how exactly?"

Sophia met his skepticism head-on, unflinching. "Because she loves everyone in this room, especially those three children and my son." She paused, smoothing invisible wrinkles from her designer slacks. "A mother who would sacrifice everything for her children doesn't simply walk away from her family."

Marcus stepped forward, his voice steady and practical. "What can we do to help?"

Adam's fingers brushed across the arm of his wheelchair. "Maybe nothing. This is something she needs to work through herself."

Sophia's attention suddenly shifted to the staircase. "Where are the children?"

As if summoned by her question, three small figures appeared at the top of the stairs. Their faces registered surprise mixed with a touch of guilt when they spotted their grandparents.

"Grandma," Alex said softly, descending one step at a time. "We saw your missed calls..."

A smile softened Sophia's features—something the Sterling family had never witnessed before. "So it was you three making my heart race," she said gently. "Haven blood runs strong. I felt your distress even from across town."

She approached the triplets and crouched down, designer heels and all, to meet them at eye level. "You miss your mother terribly, don't you?"

Three little heads bobbed in unison, fresh tears welling up.

"Listen to me," Sophia's voice had a tenderness that seemed to surprise even her. "Your mother is the strongest woman I've ever met. She'll come back to you. That's a promise."

From across the room, Marcus watched his wife with the children, absently twisting his wedding band. Sophia caught the gesture and their eyes met, exchanging decades of unspoken history in a single glance.

"Remember how nervous I was?" Marcus said quietly.

"Like a schoolboy with his first crush," Sophia chuckled. "You had my mother's ring box upside down."

Adam caught this small exchange between his parents, filing it away with newfound curiosity.

Night fell over the house, but sleep eluded everyone. Adam retreated to his study, sifting through Irene's things for any overlooked clues. A photo album caught his attention—snapshots of her life in R Country. Irene cradling newborn triplets, her exhausted smile. Irene in hospital scrubs, stethoscope around her neck. The children playing in a park, their faces sticky with ice cream.

A folded map slipped from between the pages, several locations circled in red ink—the hospital where she'd worked and a small park nearby stood out.

Shortly after midnight, Adam's phone lit up with an international number. His heart jumped into his throat as he answered. "Irene?"